Pfingsten & Potato Prints

Pfingsten – a.k.a. Pentecost – is a public holiday in Germany. It’s our third of three days off on May, which pretty much makes May the best month ever to be in Germany.

So today we’re taking it easy. If the weather cooperates, we may go outside for a walk or something. Our normal Sunday Tatort viewing with friends is taking place today instead, so that’s what we’ll be doing this evening. Barbecuing with friends and watching Tatort. I thankfully had the foresight to buy some sausages for that on Saturday, since you can’t buy meat on Sundays and all the grocery stores are closed today.

Those of you on facebook and instagram have already seen these, but I made some potato stamp prints to hang above the fish tank. Ever since I saw this idea on the Woman’s Day blog (via pinterest), I’ve been dying to try this project. So while Tobias was gone last week, I had a lot of free time and finally decided to make this happen.

I’m so glad I did! I love the way it turned out! Mixing up the indigo paint was fun, and stamping with the potatoes was even better. I left the big canvas unfinished because I think it looks more interesting that way, and it really shows off the lighter streak of paint there at the top.

Tobias says it looks like a mountain panorama. He likes it, too.

Hafengeburtstag 2013

Last weekend was the annual Hafengeburtstag – the Harbor Birthday, so they call it – here in Hamburg. Before Tobias left for LA, we spent an afternoon down by the harbor to participate in the activities. We watched the boats parade up and down the Elbe, we took a nice, leisurely walk down to Övelgönne, Tobias had a hot dog (okay, Wurst of some sort), and we hopped on the ferry boat and rode it around to Landungsbrücken. You know, our typical route. It was a gorgeous day and it was fun watching all of the boats sail around.

Here’s a little video I made to remember our day at the harbor!

 

Happy birthday, port of Hamburg. You’re the best!

Brag blog

My equivalent of the proud aunt’s brag book.

I just have to brag about how absolutely adorable my niece Abigail is. She’s pretty much the sweetest thing ever. (Look at that boo-boo on her nose – this was about a month ago…she did a face plant!)

She’s growing up more and more each day! She really looks like a little girl in these photos, and not so much a baby anymore at 18 months.

Gahh! Those pigtails and frills and a pretty pink bow! Girls are so much fun. I can’t wait to spoil her when I’m back in the States for a visit. I wonder if she’ll recognize me from photos and Skype…she probably thinks I’m two-dimensional. She can even say my name now, although saying Tobi’s name is much easier. LOVE that little girl!

 

Thunderstorm

Today we had the most wonderful thunderstorm. I really love storms because they’re simultaneously exciting and cozy.

This is the darkest I’ve ever seen the sky during the daytime. Ominous skies for sure there!

But this beginning of a rainbow showed up and reminded me that there is hope and beauty in every storm.

Mom’s old picture

My mom recently emailed me and my brother this old picture of her with her parents. She’s the oldest of three, and this was before her brother and sister were born. She told us the story behind this picture, and I thought it was so nice that I wanted to share it with you.

One of my cousins uploaded this picture – I think I’m around 2 or 3 in this photo, so it was 1962 or 1963.  It’s kind of hard to see.  I kind of vaguely remember the house – it was over in Laurel.  Not the one we moved to when we got back from Okinawa, but a different one.  I remember sitting in the kitchen on a winter day – mom had the oven door open to warm up the kitchen and I got to drink “coffee” in my own miniature coffee cup!  I remember mom telling me to go look out the window to see if it had snowed, and it had!  She was so smart!  LOL!  I think it was while living in this house that I cut my foot when I went blackberry picking with my mom – I had on flip-flops and put my foot into a broken beer bottle that was broken in half – it looked like my foot would just fit perfectly. It did fit, but I scraped the edge – I still have the scar on my foot!  Also, at that time toothpaste was a powder that you sprinkled on your hand and wet a little – I got into it and used too much and it BURNED!  Spicy toothpaste!   That is all I remember.  I remember that better than what happened last week, so I think I’m officially old.

I remember when my Grandma was still alive, she went through a family photo album and told me stories. I really wish I had recorded that, or had it written down somewhere. Now it’s too late; this past April marked 7 years since she died. We all still miss her a lot in my family. She passed away right before I studied abroad in France.

Thanks, Mom, for sharing these little stories. We’ll have to go through some more pictures like this the next time I’m visiting. I want to hear everything.

P.S. I love that my mom uses emoticons and says LOL. I’d say that’s proof she’s not officially old.